Customer Reviews

KitchenAid KSC700SS 7-Quart Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

After my experience, I looked up KitchenAid's website. There they have a forum and a special thread for those who have had their crocks crack. Some people are on their 3rd replacement and the crocks are cracking in the same place every time.

MY REVIEW:
I bought this KitchenAid slow cooker in black and I really had to talk myself into buying it because it was so expensive. I kept telling myself you get what you pay for. Well, tonight I want to cry because I had just started a pork roast to cook overnight. After leaving the kitchen, my husband and I both heard a loud pop. I went back and found my slow cooker leaking liquid all over the place. I took out the crock, turned it upside-down and found a winding crack all along the bottom.

I've only owned my KitchenAid slow cooker for about 2 weeks and the crack occurred during the third time I used it. At this point I don't know if I want a replacement slow cooker directly from KitchenAid or whether I want to return the slow cooker to Amazon for a refund. If I got a replacement, I would be nervous to leave it on overnight or when I leave home, which is the whole benefit of having a slow cooker. Worrying about your slow cooker that has a retail price of $150 doesn't seem like a very good value to me.

After my old Rival slowcooker stopped working, i decided to get one that didn't boil or run so hot. And I wanted a bigger one.

The KitchenAid one cost more (take 25 off with Amazon) but I like that it has a simmer setting that is great for soups.

Pluses: Huge. The lid seals to the pan so no steam escapes. Digital timer. Looks nice. Programmable timer. Cool on outside. Maintains proper temperature.

I've cooked twice with it and the results were excellent.

The prior reviewer commented it was too heavy to take to potluck with her. Well..yeah. Get something smaller for that. It's absurd to rank this product based on that.

Ordered the KitchenAid Slow Cooker as an addition to our KitchenAid counter top collection. Sure, I read the reviews, but I knew KitchenAid had a great reputation. I've not had any problems with my other KitchenAid appliances. Two weeks later I knew I was in trouble. I heard loud pops from the kitchen and sure enough the ceramic pot had cracked. A review of the KitchenAid forums supported my experience. Many other loyal KitchenAid consumers had identical experiences. Not only had they experienced the same problem, KitchenAid apparently began blaming consumers for the problem or denying that the appliance had problems. Sure they would honor their year guarantee, by replacing the ceramic pot. In one instance a consumer had hers replaced several times. Apparently, KitchenAid has comprised their quality control on this appliance. This is not what I would expect from a company that I had held high in regard. Consumers who are considering purchasing this appliance should review the KitchenAid consumer forums for this slow cooker. Amazon honored their return policy and I requested a refund.

My less than 2yo rival slow cooker died, so I started shopping and this Kitchen Aid had so many great features. I love the large capacity for family meals. For its first test run I made the Chipolte Chicken Drummettes recipe that came with the cooker. They were excellent; we especially liked the countdown timer for when the kids were asking how long until dinner!
Then Sunday my family decided about 1 in the afternoon they wanted stew for dinner, so I put it to the test loaded it up with veggies thawed, browned added the meat and kicked it on high temp. at 2 pm by 6 it was looking good. Now for the real challenge cooking dumplings on top. Mixed my dumplings plopped them on left the lid off for the first 10 minutes of cooking plopped the lid on for 10 more minutes of cooking and they were done! This is the first slow cooker I've ever owned that could actually cook the dumplings in just 20 minutes (my rival took an hour and still parts were doughy) Stew was excelent evenly cooked, and on high temp no burned spots.

Ceramic pot is easy to clean- seal on lid easy to remove and wash plus the seal kept steam from condensing on cupboard above cooker too.
As to the weight of the product, yes, it is heavy but it is the ceramic pot adding most of the weight any ceramic crock or bowl of 7 quart size is going to be heavy.

We purchased this slow cooker and were looking forward to meals that were no longer dried out and mushy from overcooking. After ONE use, the ceramic cracked and liquid leaked underneath to provide us with a sticky mess. So far, Amazon has made returning this product easy, but I should have been more aware of others who reviewed this for the same problem.

I bought this slow cooker for my wife, she makes the best crockpot meals and we needed a new crockpot, and thought we'd purchase this "higher-end" slow cooker. Well, our pot has cracked 3 times - that's right 3 times. One of the pots that KitchenAid sent us was so warped that it rocked like a seesaw, thankfully they replaced it. Each time we thought, maybe the pot was defective - well after this 3rd time, I want my money back. What a major disappointment, and we ruined 3 meals. We must have bad luck because a lot of you out there are not having problems. We do not put frozen meat in the pot and we do not cook on high. We sooo much wanted to love this thing. Oh well.

I've had several slow cookers over the years, but this is the cream of the crop. I purchased this one for its larger size--I can do about a dozen 1 1/2" boneless pork loin chops at once or a chicken/rice dish for about 24+ people. Everything has come out tender and not overcooked or even slightly burned. I have actually taken it to a covered dish/potluck function for 35; yes, it was heavy, but it worked and got the job done for a large group luncheon. It wasn't that much heavier than any other slow cooker I've transported full; it's a bit more cumbersome because of the way the controls do not fit flush to the heating unit.

This was also purchased to replace a Rival programmable cooker, which I never liked as it always overcooked and boiled things, even on low temp. I was always hesitant to use it when I wasn't going to be around to be able to check it for cooking things too fast, so the prgrammability was almost useless for being able to leave it and come back later. When the liner to the Rival broke when it was almost 2 years old, I contacted Rival to get a replacement--I couldn't--they didn't make that one any more even though they had others still out in the market that looked awfully similar. So, Rival actually did me a favor as I wasn't too keen on the cooking ability or performance of their programmable machine in the first place, and I also was not happy that after slightly less than two years, I couldn't get a replacement liner without buying a whole new machine. I haven't and won't be buying Rival again.

This KitchenAid is very gentle in its cooking and is truly a slow cooker. It does not boil the food on low setting, and after its cooking cycle, it will hold the cooker on a 'keep warm setting' for a few hours after the cook cylce is finished; if you set it to cook for a certain time, and you'll be eating somewhere shortly after that time, within a couple of hours, you won't have to come back and reheat. Also, to set the time, it's digital, so you can set it to the exact hours/minutes you want up to 10 hours, I believe, and you don't have to choose a preset 4-6-8 hour cook cycle if you want more or less time. Also, it's easy to clean in the sense that all but the cooking unit is dishwashable--even the gasket on the lid is removable and can be placed on the upper dishwasher rack.

Yes, it does get quite hot if you touch the metal band right up around the top of the heating unit. You'll learn that lesson once, but I've had other cookers do the same. Pick a spot to let it sit and cook, and then don't try to lift it to move it around--it's heavy when full anyway. Just keep your hands off the top metal sides when it's cooking, and like any hot cooking item or surface, keep it out of the reach of children (including the adult ones)! Use common sense when around any heat source. If you absolutely must move it or touch it, use the handles on the sides, pot holders or silicone grippers.

This cooker is definitely worth the money for the cooking quality, extra features, flexibility, and ease of use. So far, it's the best slow cooker I've ever owned.

If there were more stars than 5 I would give them all to this cooker. I have owned and tried out many, many slow cookers in my time. The newer common brands in the stores ended up at goodwill as they were terrible about burning food, hot spots, cracking crocks, etc. I tried out and sent back the Cuisinart programmable pot along with a couple of other top sellers and ordered this pot from Amazon just before Christmas. I have used it daily and the more I use it the more uses I find for it. For instance, I am a single person so I don't really need a huge crock( and the KA is huge), so I use the trivet (rack) in the bottom, use corning ware little bake pans and make several small dishes at the same time. It is wonderful to bake in. Bread pudding never tasted so good. The cooker is hot, so I watch it closely until I perfected the shorter times and cooking heats for each of my existing, well-used recipes. KitchenAid has a forum on the net for folks to share and ask questions that is wonderful. I have lots of new recipes to try now. Thank yoy Amazon.com for being such a reliable source for my purchases. I have never been disappointed nor have I ever found the same product any less expensive than at Amazon.com. Also, Amazon is wonderful and quick to refund if you try a product and decide to return it.

My blessed Crockpot was relegated to the garage because it was cracked, chipped, and too ugly to look at any more. I bought the Kitchenaid without seeing it from Amazon. It is big, it is heavy, it is fabulous. I was initially concerned because of the screws in the lid which I thought might rust and I thought that they could have put more programmability into the thing instead of the fixed settings.

I have now used it for over a month, two or three times a week. It is a real appliance, not a toy. It heats quickly and evenly. The settings on the front are actually calibrated according to the manual to exact heat ranges. Once it has reached the preset time (up to 10 hours) it goes to keep warm and stays there for 2 hours. Less overcooking if you get home late. I love the simmer setting for things like apple butter and stock. The screws in the lid do not rust.

If you use your "slow cooker" frequently, consider upgrading to this machine. You won't be sorry. If you just dally once a month or less, get something cheaper.

Original and 2 replacements had problems. Cheap manufacturing - two had warped lids, all three had defects in the ceramic pots glazing -- bad news b/c a hole in the glazing is a harbor for bacteria. Tested one of them for temps and there was no difference between low/simmer and buffet -- both were ~207 degrees. Third unit didn't come with a lid. KitchenAid's policy that the misfiting lids are due to something other than poor quality manufacturing is a bunch of malarchy. I can buy a cheap 7qt slow cooker if I want this sloppy quality. Wiling to pay more for quality products but the KitchenAid products I have bought over the past 5 yrs are cheap junk. The MBA's are maximizing short-term profits by riding the KA brand and selling this crud at our expense.

Sorry to offend the dedicated KA fans but this is my experience.